Recently, Ghanaian Highlife singer Kwaisey Pee, real name Kwasi Poku Addae, made the claim that musicians like Stonebwoy and Efya are among those who are refusing to work with him because of his social media following.
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During an interview with Nana Romeo of Accra FM’s Ayekoo Ayekoo show, Kwaisey Pee expressed his dissatisfaction with the music industry’s emphasis on social media numbers.
“One reason they did not want to collaborate with me was that they were checking your numbers on social media,” he said in reference to Efya, Stonebwoy, and the other members.
The singer of “Me hia odo” revealed that a large portion of his fan base does not use social media, and he feels that this should not be used to judge an artist’s value or likelihood of collaboration.
Daddy Lumba, Kojo Antwi, Amakye Dede, and other well-known performers who, despite their immense popularity, do not have substantial social media followings, were used by Kwaisey Pee to support his claims.
“Check out their pages and see how many followers they have,” he urged, asserting that modern celebrities—like Kuami Eugene—have bigger social media followings because they belong to a more technologically aware generation.
After labelling this attitude as “sick” and emphasising it with a hand to his temple, the crooner asked the audience to picture turning down a collaboration with icons like Daddy Lumba due to social media followings.
In response to criticism of the current emphasis in the industry, Kwaisey Pee said, “Sometimes I get really upset, and then again, people will come to me and make some unnecessary or useless comments that the guy feels bitter about.” I am not bitter at all. You are hearing the truth from me.
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He went on, “In Ghana, people say you are bitter if you speak the truth. The nation is unwell. Different mental illnesses are prevalent in the nation. They suffer from mental illness. In Ghana, there are many mental health concerns that go untreated. People have mental illnesses, Nana.”
Going back to his initial concern, Kwaisey Pee emphasised that talent, experience, and years in the field were more important than social media followers.
Some of us, along with our followers, do not use social media. Sorry, but some might have even passed away. Therefore, he said, “You are a sick person if you think I will have 500,000 followers before you work with me.”
In closing, he said that a person’s skill, years of experience, and years in the business are what matter when partnering with them—not their social media presence.
